Chapter XXIX – Overwhelming Power
Beep…beep…beep
W-Where am… I?
Xekuto peeled open his eyes, realising there was unbearable pain developing in his abdomen.
Oh…that's right.
Sure enough he looked towards it and saw the bandage.
I got shot.
"Darn it!" He cursed under his breath and managed to sit up slowly, but not without sending an intense jolt of pain on his stomach.
"I don't have TIME to be shot!"
"You realise how extremely wrong that sounded?"
"Heh… should've know you would be here, Ryu."
"Where did you think I'd be? Running off with Mia?"
"That one wasn't funny."
"Sorry."
Xekuto sighed deeply and analysed his current situation.
"Okay. I'm bedridden, Mia's safe in Kurain with Diego and…well, pretty much nothing else is happening at the moment, right?"
"I guess…"
"You're thinking about that incident again, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I still can't believe I passed the offer to testify. Up until now, the judge still thinks I had nothing to do with it."
"…Which is true."
"Yes. But I'd rather be of some use when I at least had a body."
"Well, we'll think back to that case later. There's a good chance it's going to come up again since I have those notes on it now."
"Yeah…about that, Xe-kun…"
"Hmm?"
"After you got shot, a black hooded figure went through your pockets and took that notebook."
"What?!" Xekuto scanned around the room he was in for his dark grey jacket but it wasn't there.
Oh…this is just…
"…Perfect! I'm stuck in some random abyss like portal with no way back!" Mia yelled out in frustration and could see nothing around her but purple mist.
"What on earth did that girl want with me? And how did she know Xekuto? He EXISTS because of her? What is she, his mother?!"
"That is one way of putting it."
"…!" Mia gasped and turned around to find Shinume gliding just a bit behind her.
"What do you want with me?! Why did you bring me here?"
"To show you the truth of truths. To answer all of your questions."
"What…?" Mia's mind managed to click into place. She decided to take advantage of this abnormal situation.
"Fine then… tell me your links with Xekuto."
"Very well. Beware, the truth may be painful."
"The truth will be painful? Ha…!" Mia did a fine imitation of Diego's bark like laugh. The thought of her mentor at this moment assured her slightly.
"I knew that from the moment my mother left me. From the moment my father passed away. From the day I decided I would be a lawyer." She glared menacingly at Shinume, refusing to be afraid and intimidated.
"I chose the path of a lawyer to FIND truths! I know how painful they can be, and I am willing to take all of that pain to acquire those truths!"
"…I see. Very interesting. You are…different."
Mia clasped her hands to her chest and braced herself.
"We will start with the creation of Xekuto Zoren. This is rather ironic because...well…" Shinume twirled around on the spot.
"He was never meant to exist."
"Stop saying such cruel things about him and get on with it." Mia hissed, feeling really unlike her usual self. She was getting irritated much more easily than usual.
An image of a science laboratory suddenly was present in one of the wells that Shinume always observed.
It displayed a close up version of a cracked test tube.
For some reason, the pieces clicked together in Mia's head immediately.
"Xekuto was… a failed experiment?"
"Ohh, very good. Yes, he was designed as a weapon originally, I think. Though my memory is kind of foggy. It was around that time when Chihiro-chama got into that accident after all."
"Chihiro?" Mia felt that name was oddly familiar.
"You are still familiar with the name 'Ryu Seron', aren't you?" Shinume chose to ignore Mia's question completely and changed the subject.
"Y-Yes…"
Great, how is Ryu tied into this? Mia thought to herself with a chill in her spine.
"You are aware that he and Xekuto share the same body?"
"What do you mean Shinume is talking to Mia?" Xekuto seized up when the pain in his abdomen struck out at him like a knife to the wound.
"I can sense Mia's presence in Shinume's lair." Ryu said gravely. "What should we do?"
"What else?! Send me there at once!" Xekuto cried out, desperation clear in his voice.
"No. I can't do that! You're still injured!" Ryu protested. "You're hurt enough as it is! This will be your undoing!"
"It will be both of our undoing if she realises that the two of us are one person!"
"So what if she does realise?! I was fine with you telling her ages ago but you never did!"
"ARGH!" Xekuto groaned loudly and hit his bed pillow in pure frustration.
"What….am I going to do…?" He started sobbing fitfully.
Mia…whatever you hear…whatever you think of me now…please…
Find it in your heart to forgive me…
"Xekuto's…been born into countless worlds?" Mia swallowed, trying her best to comprehend this. "There are different worlds? Parallel worlds?"
"Yes. All of what you have said so far is true." Shinume seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.
"And…this girl…" Mia walked towards the rusting cage and peered inside, feeling pity in her heart. "Shinjiko…she's been recording every sentence of it?"
Shinjiko shivered slightly but otherwise didn't back away from Mia. The blood stained quill she clutched in her hand never stopped moving.
"And this, is where I have my fun." Shinume motioned towards something Mia hadn't seen before in the veiled world.
It appeared to be a different version of a normal chessboard. Instead of the usual playing pieces, each figure had a very distinctive feature about them which defined who they were.
Shinume giggled and purposely picked up the one shaped just like Mia.
The young attorney flinched slightly. "W-what are you doing?" She gasped.
Shinume dropped the pieces forcefully onto the board.
All at once, Mia cried out in pain and felt herself being thrown hard onto the ground.
Oh my…God.
"Y-you're controlling us? All this time, you've been…writing the script and treating us like actors in a play?" Mia gasped.
"You're much smarter than I expected. I do enjoy seeing you squirm. And that other person…what was his name again? Oh yes, Diego Armando."
Shinume chose to pick up Diego's piece next.
"No, stop!" Mia cried out and watched in horror and Shinume tightened her grip on Diego's body.
"When did this happen, Skye?" Diego was already in the same car as her as they drove towards the hospital which Xekuto was admitted to.
"Several hours ago." Lana replied briskly, clicking her nails against the wheel.
"Goodness sake, as if there wasn't enough trouble alrea…!" Diego was suddenly cut off when he felt an iron grip around his whole body.
"Armando?" Lana turned to him in alarm. "What's wrong?"
"I…don't know! Something's got a hold of me but I don't know what!" Diego gasped in pain as the grip tightened gradually. "I-I can't fight it off!"
"Calm down, Armando! We're almost at the hospital. It'll be worth your while to ask the doctors what's going on."
"Wait… it just stopped."
"Eh?"
Diego clutched his chest and breathed out in relief.
"What…WAS that?" He wheezed.
Mia watched the basin pool in horror and recoiled when Shinume lifted her piece up. She felt herself being pulled upwards and grappled with thin air.
"Now do you understand the power that I possess? Now do you understand why all should fear me? I can end people's lives with a snap of my fingers. I can make the best of friends do unthinkable things to each other. And when I'm really bored…" She finally chose to pick up Xekuto model with her free hand whilst still dangling Mia in mid air with the other.
"N-No…!" Mia struggled helplessly and tears welled up in her eyes.
Shinume took a sharp blade.
And stabbed right through Xekuto's arm.
Red. There was red everywhere.
Xekuto couldn't even begin to describe the pain.
So he didn't.
He forced himself to ignore it.
For some reason, it was very easy to do so.
Maybe it's because he may never see Mia again.
That all he had done in the past hundred years were for nothing.
Perhaps the reason for that was the reason why his heart was aching.
Much, much worse.
Than anything ever before.
